Tag Archives: politics

So, okay Obama got back in, and as per my previous post, that was the result I preferred. Again, with the proviso that I don’t even live in the US any more, so my opinions should be taken with tincture of Natrum Muriaticum.

But more exciting to me were the results on the marriage equality ballots. Before yesterday, every time a question about marriage equality had gone to the popular vote, it had lost. Opponents of same-sex marriage had always used this to say that pro-gay lobbyists were trying to push through measures against democratic will. Supporters countered with the rather less sound bite-friendly retort that the constitution should prevent the rights of minorities being alienated by the will of the majority.

Yesterday, questions went to the voters in four states. And though none have been officially confirmed as I write this, it looks very much like all four have gone for marriage equality. So in one night, gone from 0% of ballot measures going our way, to all four. That is huge news. Perhaps huge enough for this election to be an important part of the narrative of social justice in years to come. The point where the moral balance of the nation tipped towards justice.

So congrats to the voters in Maine, Minnesota, Washington State and Maryland. And congrats to my LGBTQXYZ friends in the US. I hope the day is coming where my ex-pat UK friends will have their marriage recognized in the US.

The struggle continues, of course. And I think more needs to be done to focus outreach efforts towards the older white men who still form the bulk of the intransigence. There is a sense in the movement that time is on our side. These guys will die out eventually, just like the older white men who opposed civil rights largely died out in the 70s and 80s. But unless these folks are reached out to, the potential for a backlash is still high.